Nobodies: Blumiere
by Pax the Dreamer
Summary: A deeper look into the "Lord of Nightmares" from the Legend of the Dream Keeper series. PS: I'm not dead!


**Author's Note: Hey guys, guess what? I'M NOT DEAD! More information in the end note, but until then, enjoy this little puppy I wrote for the Lord of Nightmares.**

* * *

_**Nobodies: Blumiere**_

"Blumiere!"

"Huh?" I blinked back to reality in time for the staff to smack me in the head, knocking me down.

"Focus!" Father barked, holding the staff to my face. The two of us were in the training field, just a short walk away from the Castle Courtyard.

"Sorry, Father…" I apologized, standing back up. "I was just-"

"Daydreaming?" Father finished. "Blumiere, no Nightmare worth his Soul would respect a King who can't even fight! If you want to perfect your skills on the battle field, you have to learn to focus!"

"Focus…" I stood up and held my staff in the middle. "Right."

The two of us returned to our sparring match. Father had been really buckling down on teaching me how to properly fight in the last few months… personally, I think it's because he's finally realizing how old he's getting, and he wants to make sure I'm ready to take the crown of the Kingdom.

* * *

An hour later, Father and I were sitting on the edge of our cliff, watching the sun set together.

"…you know, you could have gone a little easier on me…" I muttered, using my powers to heal the bumps and bruises on my body.

"Your opponent won't go easy on you, neither should I," Father said seriously. After a moment though, he smirked slightly. "Besides… think of it this way. The day you actually beat me, it'll feel so much more satisfying."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, you have a point."

"That is… IF you beat me."

"Oh don't rub it in!"

I gave him a light push, and the both of us shared a laugh. Once the moment passed, we both sighed and watched the sunset.

"It really is beautiful today…" I said.

"It is…" my Father agreed. "…Blumiere?"

"Yes, Father?"

Father rubbed the back of his head. "I know I… well, I push you a lot. I just want you to know… I only do it-"

"Father." I held out a hand to stop him. "…I know."

Father stared at me for a moment, then simply looked down with a slight laugh. "You get more like your mother with every passing day…"

"…I wish I could have known her," I muttered.

"As do I, son."

Father stood up and pat me on the shoulder.

"Blumiere…" he started, searching for the right words. I stopped him again.

"I love you too… Dad," I smiled. He closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling.

"Coming?" he asked.

"I think I'll stay here for a few more minutes," I told him.

"Alright… just don't stay out too late."

Father walked back to the Castle, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

_If Mother were still around… would she have been able to calm Father's nerves? He's been getting more and more suspicious each day… the last time I've seen him like this is when the Dreamers tried to invade. Is there something he's not telling me?_

I shook my head and stood up, turning around to walk back to the Castle. My foot slipped, and I started to fall back down the cliff. Thinking fast, I dug my claws into the cliff to keep myself from falling. My heart was beating rapidly as I looked down. That was a bad idea. The ground was a long way down, and just looking at it made me feel like my stomach already jumped off the cliff and left me behind. I turned my head back up and tried to pull myself up, but my arms were shaking so bad, I wound up shaking myself off the cliff. I screamed as I fell down, up until my head slammed against the Cliffside. Everything went black.

* * *

"Oh… my head…"

I blinked my eyes open, seeing the roof of a house over me. I felt the side of my head, feeling bandages over it.

"Are you awake at last?"

I turned my head to the voice. A beautiful woman was standing in the doorway. Her hair was long and yellow in color, her eyes a deep emerald green. Her lips were pink, and her dress was blue. Her entire body looked like a rainbow, to be quite honest.

"Where…" I blinked, trying to sit up. "Where am I? Is this… is this a Dreamer's home?"

"Bleccch!" the woman wrinkled her nose as she hurried to me, forcing me back down into the bed. "Don't wriggle like that, you'll hurt yourself!"

I felt the side of my head again, remembering the cliff. "I… I fell down a cliff, didn't I?"

The woman nodded, sitting on the side of the bed. "I found you at the cliff's base. You looked like you took quite a fall."

"I'll say," I muttered, managing a weak laugh. The woman gave a light giggle herself.

"…why did you help me?" I asked her. "I'm a Nightmare, and you're a Dreamer. We're supposed to be mortal enemies."

"Enemies or not, it's inhumane to just leave an injured soul to die," reasoned the woman. I smiled at her.

"…Blumiere," I said, offering a clawed hand to shake.

"Timpani," the woman replied, reaching to shake my hand. She quickly pulled away as soon as she touched my flesh, however.

"My goodness, you're freezing!" she said in worry. "You get under the covers, I'll make you-"

She was cut short when I burst into laughter.

"Don't worry," I laughed. "That's normal for Nightmares."

"Oh…" Timpani blinked. "Well, now I feel silly…"

I sat up in the bed, and the two of us spent the better part of the next hour or so talking.

* * *

"Oh thank the Darkness… Blumiere!"

Father ran up and grabbed me in a powerful hug.

"Where have you been?!" he grabbed my shoulders and glared at me. "You've been gone for DAYS! I've had the soldiers search the entire Kingdom looking for you!"

"Father, I'm fine," I assured him. "I fell down the cliff, but I wasn't hurt too bad… it took me a few days to recover, but I managed to stumble back over here."

"Don't…" Father closed his eyes. "Don't scare me like that again…"

He quickly recovered himself and stepped back.

"If you die, who's going to take over the Kingdom?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Yes Father," I nodded. "I'm sorry."

An hour later, I was back in my room, staring out the window.

_Timpani._

That woman kept coming through my mind. Nothing I could do would get her out of my head.

"_Thank you for helping me… but will this be the last time we speak?"_

"…_well, if you want to talk again, I'll be waiting where the Sky Touches the Earth."_

I looked at the spot Timpani was talking about outside my window.

"Where the Sky Touches the Earth…" I muttered. After putting covers under the sheets to make it look like I was sleeping, I climbed out the window and made a mad dash to the spot. I reminded myself to thank Father later for teaching me these skills for moving around undetected…

* * *

This made the fifth time I came to see Timpani where the Sky Touches the Earth. I called her name out to keep her from leaving, as she was starting to walk away when I came. She turned to face me, her eyes lighting up.

"…you're late," she finally said, trying to act angry as she crossed her arms.

"I'm… sorry," I panted, taking a moment to catch my breath. "I tried to use a Portal, but Father sensed the rip in the Dream."

"…I was worried you wouldn't come…" Timpani muttered, shuffling her feet. I walked up to her and gently tilted her head up to see me in the face.

"…you are a strange girl," I smirked. "You know exactly what I am, yet you're not at all afraid."

"So?" Timpani pulled herself from my grip and tried to look dignified. "I just wanted to see you is all. Is that so wrong?"

I shook my head, smiling at her. "I wanted to see you too, Timpani…"

I motioned to the spot we usually sit in. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

Timpani took a moment to respond, staring at her feet. She looked like she was thinking hard.

"…I understand if you don't want to," I admitted, my heart feeling heavy. "It's late… we both have families wondering where we are, we should-"

Timpani placed a finger over my mouth to shut me up before leaning in and kissing me. Her lips touching mine… it was the most incredible feeling in the world. At that moment, everything in the world fit. A hole that sat in my heart that I didn't even know existed filled in that moment. Timpani finally pulled away from me and smiled that addictive smile of hers.

"I'd like that very much, Blumiere," she said cheerfully. "Let's take a seat. We had a conversation we started last night that we never finished."

"I… uh…" I blinked, not really sure what to say. Timpani laughed and hugged me close, leaning her face on my chest.

This was only the beginning of our newfound love.

* * *

"BLUMIERE!"

I froze in place, cursing myself for getting caught as Father stormed toward me.

"Of all the… ungrateful… stubborn…" He couldn't get an entire sentence out properly, he was so angry. He marched up to me, clawing at the air.

"Father, I was just-" I started.

"DON'T YOU 'I WAS JUST' ME!" Father barked. "You were off to see that Dreamer again, weren't you?!"

"What… how did you-" I started.

"You're not NEARLY as good at sneaking around as you may think, Blumiere," Father growled.

"Well… what do you know about her?!"

"I know she's a Dreamer!"

"So what?!"

"SO WHAT?!" The castle seemed to shake with his fury. "BLUMIERE…"

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath.

"Blumiere," he continued, in a much calmer tone of voice, "you are a Nightmare. We're born and made of Darkness. Dreamers are born and made of Light. Light snuffs out Darkness, and Darkness corrupts Light. We are incompatible, it's in our nature to hate and repel each other."

Father placed a hand on my shoulder. "I don't want you to be snuffed out, son. Please, just listen to reason… that Dreamer will be your downfall if you don't stay cautious."

"…"

I shrugged his hand off and stormed deeper into the castle.

"Blumiere!" Father called after me. I ignored him as I walked away. He sighed as he leaned against the wall, rubbing his temples.

* * *

By the time I reached our usual spot, Timpani was curled up on the ground, crying to herself.

"TIMPANI!"

I ran toward her, fearing the worst. She took one look at me and tried to run away. I managed to catch up with her and grabbed her by the wrist, however.

"Why are you trying to avoid me?" I asked.

"Ow… OW!" Timpani pulled as hard as she could against my grip, but it was like trying to pull apart steel. "Unhand me!"

"Timpani-" I started, but I was put aback when I saw the black gashes she was trying to hide under her robes.

"Oh… Timpani, who did this to you?" I asked, pulling her down and placing my hands over her wounds, pulling out the Darkness.

"It's… it's nothing-" she started.

"Bull," I said bluntly. "Somebody hurt… you… oh no, it was Father, wasn't it?!"

"Blumiere, please-" Timpani started.

"That blind IDIOT!" I shouted in frustration, punching the ground in fury. "How could he do this to you?! I swear, when I see him again, I am going to-"

"Blumiere."

Timpani placed a hand over my mouth, silencing me.

"I'm… I'm just an ordinary girl," Timpani said sadly, pulling away from me. I managed to pull the Darkness out from her, but her wounds were still there. "No matter how much I love you… we have to part."

"Timpani… I…" I started, feeling powerless.

"This is goodbye, Blumiere," Timpani said, tears welling in her eyes. "It's… it's our fate. Dreamers and Nightmares cannot co-exist… that's what the whole World is trying to tell us. We've just been too stubborn to listen."

Timpani turned and started to walk away. I stared after her for a minute, but…

"WAIT!"

I ran in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Blumiere-" Timpani started.

"I know, I know," I said, shaking my head. "The World won't accept our love… so let's go to another World!"

"…what?" Timpani whispered.

"Let's travel the Dream Realm together!" I begged her. "If we can't find a World where Dreamers and Nightmares can coexist, we'll just make our own!"

"Blumiere, what you're talking about, it's… it's impossible. It's madness!"

"Love can make any man mad," I smirked. "Besides, it's better to try and fail then to never try at all."

Timpani shook her head. "Blumiere-"

I shocked her into silence by getting on one knee, holding her hands.

"Be it creating a new Dream or spending our lives searching… I want to be with you," I told her. "I want to make you the happiest girl in the world. So please… marry me, Timpani! I swear upon both the Light and Darkness that I will make you happy!"

"You…" Timpani shook her head, tearing up an smiling. "You just won't give up, will you? Of all the crazy… stubborn… foolish men…"

"Answer me, Timpani!" I begged. Timpani took my face in her hands, bending down and kissing me.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, of course I'll marry you, Blumiere. Take me away. Let's spend the rest of our lives together…"

I laughed as I stood up and hugged her close. "Timpani… don't worry. I WILL find happiness for us both…"

* * *

It was late at night when Timpani and I lay in the grass together, staring at the stars above us. We had spent the past few nights on the run from both the Dreamers and Nightmares, stealing information to find out how we could both safely travel to other Worlds. We finally had enough information to take the plunge into the Dream Realm… and we were going to start tomorrow. On the "equinox" of the Dream, where everything would align just right for the easiest, least risky travel.

"Look, Timpani…" I pointed at the massive number of constellations in the sky. "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes," Timpani nodded, looking at the stars. "I wonder if they'll look any different on the other Worlds?"

"Maybe," I nodded. We sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"…you know," I said, "when I was little, Father told me that making an unselfish wish on a star would make it come true."

"Oh, is that so?" Timpani smirked. "In that case, we'd better get to wishing now, shouldn't we?"

I shook my head. "No… I don't need to wish anymore."

"Mm?" Timpani looked at me. I pulled her closer and hugged her.

"I already got my wish," I told her, gently kissing her head. "I have everything I need right here."

Timpani giggled and held me close. "Still… a wish to keep us safe in our Journey couldn't hurt."

"True," I laughed. "…Timpani, aren't you cold?"

I noted this as she started to shiver from prolonged contact with my flesh.

"No…" she shook her head and kissed me. "I'm very warm… can't we stay like this? Just a little longer?"

I brushed her hair with my hand. "Whatever you want, Timpani. Give me your wish, and I'll be your star."

"Did you really just say that?" Timpani laughed.

"Hey, I thought it was romantic!"

The two of us laughed in each other's arms until we fell asleep, perfectly at peace.

That would be the last night we'd spend together like that.

* * *

"Hm…?" I slowly blinked awake. It was daytime, and… Timpani was nowhere in sight.

"Timpani?" I raised my head, looking around. I noticed the grass was flattened, signs of a struggle evident. My heart dropping, I reached my hand out and felt the fabric of the Dream. Sure enough, a Dark Portal had just recently been opened.

"TIMPANI!" I jumped to my feet and forced the old portal open again with all of my powers. I sprinted through, and after a brief run through the Corridor of Darkness, I wound up back in the castle.

"Oh no… please, no…" I whispered to myself, running through the castle. My search took me to the basement, where I saw Father holding the cursed book, the Dark Prognosticus, and Timpani floating in front of him. He was chanting ancient incantations from the Tome, and strings of darkness were skewering through Timpani.

"LET GO OF HER!"

Father whirled his head toward me as I ran at him. "NO YOU FOOL! YOU'LL BOTCH THE-"

Too late. I tackled Father to the ground, knocking the book out of his hands. The dark strings vanished from Timpani's body, and some kind of gaseous substance made of light started to leak from the holes left in her body. Her eyes were closed, as if she were just sleeping, as she slowly fell backwards.

"TIMPANI!" I ran forward to catch her, but as soon as her body hit my arms, it shattered, leaving behind the gaseous light, which slowly faded away. I stared at the spot where she vanished, unable to believe my eyes.

"What…" I spun toward Father, who shakily stood up and grabbed the Dark Prognosticus. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

"I was TRYING to evict her from the Dream!" Father barked. "But you interrupted the ritual! That little Dreamer just lost her body… her Soul is going to wander the Dream Realm for all eternity now!"

I stared at him, unable to comprehend what he just said. "What… no…"

"Such is the fate of those who stand against us," Father spat. "That Dreamer would have led to your demise, Blumiere. I saved your life by-"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, getting into battle position. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!"

I lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. I punched his face, again and again, until black blood started to splatter across the room. Father kicked me back, slowly standing up in pain. Grunting, I stood up, my eyes falling upon the Dark Prognosticus. I made a dive and caught it in my hands, standing up and opening the dark Tome.

"Blumiere, stop!" Father said, fear in his voice. "The Dark Prognosticus is too powerful for you to wield!"

"I don't care!" I snapped, tears falling down my face. "If it's going to destroy me, let it destroy me! A World without her is empty… LIFE without her is empty!"

I opened the book, letting the dark knowledge fill my essence. A forgotten language filled my mind.

"_**ROLOD!**_" I pointed my hand at Father. He screamed as he curled up in pain. I was about to speak another world to cause him more pain, but… it hit me like a boulder.

There I was, attacking my own Father.

Timpani was gone.

My life was pointless.

I bowed my head, wanting nothing more than to just stop existing. A phrase filled my mind.

"_**ERETTIM EM ...**__**!**_" I cried out. Just like that, I was no longer there. Both me and the Dark Prognosticus were gone. Father stared at the spot I once was, tears welling in his eyes.

"What…" he looked at his hands. "What have I done?"

* * *

I was floating in ..., slowly fading away. I could feel my Soul deteriorating as I became one with ...

_At least… my pain will all be gone…_ I thought to myself as I could feel the last of myself fading away. _I accept my fate… to fade away into this Void._

_**CRACK!**_

The ... that surrounded me was no longer ..., but rather a Void. Purple and black made up the majority, and darkness settled in. The Nothing that I was contrasted with the Darkness, and it hardened into a shell. One by one, my senses slowly returned to me as I touched down on the ground in the Void.

"What…?" My voice cracked as it felt like I was using it for the first time. I looked down at my hands, realizing I was still around. I pressed the palm of my hand against my chest and felt… nothing was on the other side.

I was a hollow shell.

A Nobody.

"…why?" I asked myself. "Why did this have to happen to me?! My soul is gone… SO WHY DO I STILL FEEL THE PAIN?!"

I roared in agony as I pounded my fists against the nearby wall made of Darkness. I landed punch after punch, eventually falling to my knees and letting the tears fall down my face.

"…"

I turned around, my back to the wall as I sat on the ground.

"Blumiere."

My voice echoed as the word appeared in front of me: BLUMIERE

I glared at the word. That pathetic Nightmare was less than nothing. He was weak. He couldn't even protect the woman he loved. I lashed out at the name, making the letters scatter and leaving behind an X where I meant to cross out the name. I stared at the X, and at the letters floating around. I focused on the letters and moved my hands, making them re-arrange themselves into a new word.

I read the new word and said it over and over until it burnt into my mind. I slowly stood up, commanding the Void to surround me. It did so, stitching a white cloak and top hat for me to wear. These clothes would be my new identity… and this word would be my new name.

No longer was I Blumiere, the pathetic Nightmare…

I was Meribleux, master of the Void.

* * *

The Nightmares in the town in front of the Kingdom turned their heads to stare at the blocks of the Void that appeared in their town. Dark smoke came from the blocks and shaped into a tall form. Then, just as soon as the Void appeared, it was gone, leaving me in its place.

"…Blumiere?" one of the Nightmares asked, approaching me. In reply, I held out my hand, pointing my palm at her. I let the void launch out and blast clean through her, taking her Soul with her. A minute later, she was just a mindless beast, snarling at my command.

"Wha…" the Nightmare's husband turned to look at me in shock. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

I smirked as I held out both hands, charging the Void through them. The Nightmares screamed and tried to run away, but I sent out a shockwave of the Void through them, blasting the Soul out of every body. In less than a minute, I had a small army of mindless beasts surrounding me. With a nod, I led them to the Castle.

* * *

The Nightmare King was sitting on his throne by the time I burst in with my army of Nightmares. The guards ran forward to stop us, but half of them lost their Souls with the mere wave of my hand, and the other half were taken in the mob of Nightmares.

"Long time no see," I sneered at the King, who was staring at me with wide eyes. "How long has it been? I can't quite recall…"

"…Blumiere?" the King asked. "Blumiere, is that you? I thought… I was afraid I'd lost you."

"I go by a new name now," I told him. "You may call me Count Bleck."

"Count… Blumiere, what's gotten into you?!" the King asked.

"Fitting words, coming from you," I laughed. "I've come to take what's mine."

"The throne?" gulped the King.

"Why on Earth would I want the throne of a dying kingdom?" I pointed out, motioning to the army of Soul-less Nightmares. "No, I want the Dream. I want the Nightmares, so I may start my own army of Darkness."

"Blumiere…" the King stood up, holding out his arms. "I'm… sorry."

"…" I stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for everything," the King bowed his head. "I've been a horrible father… and a horrible Nightmare in general. I let my own hatred and jealousy of the Dreamers overtake me… but I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you all your life… and I shouldn't have tried to steal away your love."

He offered a hand to me. "Please, Blumiere…"

I stared at him for a minute before turning around, keeping my back to him as tears started gathering in my eyes. I clenched my right fist as I covered my face with my left, thinking for a moment.

"…Blumiere is dead," I finally told him, my voice breaking. I nodded to my army. "Kill him."

The last I heard from my father were his screams of anguish as he was taken by the army of Nightmares. I stepped out of the throne room, leaning against the wall.

Even a Nobody can cry.

* * *

**Author's Note: Poor dude... anyway, I'm sorry I vanished for, like, five months, but life crushed me, and really, I didn't really want to constantly update anymore. I'm getting back in the saddle now-for REAL this time. Updates won't be for a little while, as I'm trying to build a buffer. Still, I like to put some kind of timer on myself... expect new chapters March 1st guys, and after that you'll get your updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Of course, since I'm writing them ahead of time, I won't be doing the Author's Notes except for rare occasions. If you guys really WANT the Author's Notes though, feel free to tell me. Anyway, you can always contact me via PM, and be sure to mark your calenders: March 1st, new chapters for the Lord of Nightmares. That's it for now, 'till next time, this is Pax the Dreamer, signing out!**

**PS: Check my profile for an Easter egg.**


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